I found unlikely heroes and outstanding role models in a show about cocaine. Go figure.
Last Thursday was the season finale of newcomer television show "Queen of the South." The show, based on an international best-selling book, La Reina del Sur, is about the struggles of the main character, Teresa Mendoza, and how she becomes a dominant queen-pin in the cocaine circuit. But I am not writing a summary of the show's first season, but a plea for you to watch it.
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The story takes place so far in Sinaloa, Mexico and Dallas, Texas. There is a beneath-the-surface power struggle between two other characters, Camilla Vargas and her husband Epifanio Vargas- and poor Teresa and her right hand Brenda are stuck in the middle. Through life threatening and moral shattering-struggles, the show leaves us mourning over the death of charismatic and loyal Brenda and has us wondering what will Teresa do next.
This show ripped the veil of the Hispanic female struggle and exposed everything ugly. There are four prominent female roles in the show, and countless of male roles who pleasantly act as side parts. These men, although played by talented actors, highlight the struggle and stories of these powerhouse women, creating a perfect storm of future role models.
Teresa Mendoza, our main character, has continuously found herself in situations that were bound to get her killed. But because of her persistence and drive to just stay alive allows her to push through and continue forward. After being raped and shot at in the beginning of the season, she is forced to fight. And after unwillingly working for Camilla and her second-in-command James (babe alert), she is forced to understand the ways of the Vegas Cartel.
She must discover how much she is willing to fight for herself and the only two people she loves: Brenda and her son. This woman, a once innocent soul with pure vision in her eyes, now only sees blood and evil. Her boyfriend, Guero, worked with Epifanio personally. But, after word of him being killed reached her ears, she knew that her life could be taken next. From then, Teresa was always on the run, and she tried to keep her sanity and morals intact.
Camilla Vargas is the wife of Epifanio Vargas, who are both in charge of their very successful drug cartel. But, because Epifanio continues to ignore his wife's efforts towards the company, she lashes out from her headquarters in Dallas. Because she wants to take back what is rightfully hers, her husband and his people see her as a crazy and stubborn woman. But I see her as a determined boss who, like Teresa, is forced to understand just how much she is willing to fight for herself. Although she has support to protect her, she has to fight for her name and rightful place. She, like many women, has been stepped on and controlled by men. But Camilla is willing to do whatever it takes to gain respect, which is hard to do, especially in this era. Not only is Camilla trying to gain respect from her husband, but also from her teenage daughter, Isabella.
Camilla's daughter, Isabella Vargas, was unwillingly born into the life; she did not choose to become a part of the drug cartel. Her mother, trying to gain respect and power, wrings Isabella in her plan. But Isabella is not having it, because her right as a daughter has been oppressed. Camilla's thirst for respect forced her to move to Dallas for a year. This obviously had some strain towards Isabella, so she, much like her mother, wants respect and to be treated like a daughter, not a trophy to Camilla. This can be hard, especially for a teenager.
Brenda Parra, wife of late Chino Parra, is also a mother. Because Chino worked with Don Epifanio in Mexico, she and her son were exposed to the drug cartek. But Brenda was in it because of her husband. She had the option to leave him, taking her son away from a heinous environment, but she demonstrated loyalty towards her man. Later, when Chino dies, she becomes the protector of her family, and she rises to the occasion. Sure, it was a rough road, but in every episode, she worries about her son's safety. Brenda will do whatever it takes not to have her son's childhood robbed.
Sure, these women aren't perfect. But they represent the Latin and Hispanic women in the most diverse and classy way. These women, emphasized by their male counterparts, broke stereotypes that not only for Latin and Hispanic women, but women around the world. I find these women inspirational: Teresa for her endurance, Camilla for her boldness, Isabella for standing her ground, and Brenda for her strength.
